WEDNESDAY, MAY 3, 2006
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Volume 5, Issue 147
Santa Monica Daily Press A newspaper with issues
DAILY LOTTERY 7 11 22 27 31 Meganumber: 33 Jackpot: $41M 7 12 21 43 46 Meganumber: 16 Jackpot: $19M
Food for thought on Third St. New law puts diners in middle of things, but some get bad taste in mouths
6 18 31 33 37 MIDDAY: 6 3 8 EVENING: 4 3 4 1st: 03 Hot Shot 2nd: 07 Eureka! 3rd: 09 Winning Spirit RACE TIME: 1:45.46 Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the winning number information, mistakes can occur. In the event of any discrepancies, California State laws and California Lottery regulations will prevail. Complete game information and prize claiming instructions are available at California Lottery retailers. Visit the California State Lottery web site: http://www.calottery.com
NEWS OF THE WEIRD BY
CHUCK
SHEPARD
Convicted drunk driver Joshua Campbell, 23, filed a lawsuit in April against the driver he hit, Bloomfield Township, Mich., police officer Gary Davis, asking the police department to pay him for the “humiliation,” “embarrassment” and physical injuries he received. Campbell claims that Davis unsafely turned around on Interstate 75 after a traffic stop and that the turnaround was the cause of the collision. Bloomfield police say that Campbell, in addition to having a 0.17 blood alcohol reading, was going 90 mph and that three patrol cars on the scene with flashing lights should have been a signal to Campbell to slow down.
TODAY IN HISTORY
On May 3, 1945, during World War II, Japanese forces on Okinawa launched their only major counteroffensive, but failed to break the American lines.
QUOTE OF THE DAY “A man can become so accustomed to the thought of his own faults that he will begin to cherish them as charming little ‘personal characteristics."’
HELEN ROWLAND AMERICAN WRITER
INDEX Horoscopes 2
Snow & Surf Report Water temperature: 60°
3
Opinion God help us
4
Commentary Bent over a barrel
5
State Driving Miss Daisy Chain
6
Real Estate Give them some credit
10
People in the News Paris shipping out
15
Comics Laugh it up
16
Classifieds Ad space odyssey
Daily Press Staff Writer
THIRD STREET PROMENADE — Looking to add a little spice to the dining experience here, elected leaders have approved a law allowing restaurants to set up seating in the middle of the promenade. Under the new measure, outdoor dining would be confined to areas immediately adjacent to the north and south pavilions — the small commercial spaces located in the middle of the promenade that currently house a clothing boutique, juice bar and chocolate shop. At present, outdoor dining occurs informally at the end of the north pavilion where owners of the juice bar have set out plastic chairs. Formalizing the area for outdoor dining, city staff said, would make it possible for restau-
17-19
At present, outdoor dining occurs informally at the end of the north pavilion where owners of the juice bar have set out plastic chairs.
Alejandro Cesar Cantarero II/Daily Press
LAISSEZ-FAIRE: This north pavilion seating area will soon be fit for fancy dining.
rants to serve alcohol and give the area a more unified look. “We are very happy with the council’s decision,” said Miriam
Mack, director of economic development and resource management, which has been working with a French restaurant owner
looking to set up shop at the north pavilion. “We’ve been trying to add more outdoor dining seats for some time now … There is no other way to look at it, outdoor dining is clearly a benefit and an important element of the Third Street Promenade.” The law, approved last week by the City Council in a 4-2 vote, is See PROMENADE, page 6
Samohi still among cream of crop
LOCAL
Today is the 123rd day of 2006. There are 242 days left in the year.
Choose an escape, Sag
BY KEVIN HERRERA
Fetus murder trial set to get underway
BY KEVIN HERRERA Daily Press Staff Writer
By Daily Press staff
DOWNTOWN LA — A Santa Monica woman is expected to stand trial beginning today for allegedly killing a 23-week-old fetus. Victoria Nadine CaldwellLater, 35, was charged in December with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder. If convicted, she faces between 25 years and life in prison, officials said. Caldwell-Later was arrested Dec. 1 at a home on the 1800 block of 18th Street, where she had been living for several weeks, said P.J. Morris, homicide coordinator for LAPD’s northeast division. Caldwell-Later allegedly stabbed a 32-year-old pregnant woman outside of her home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles on Oct. 13, 2005. The woman survived, but her unborn daughter did not, Det. Morris said. See TRIAL, page 6
SMMUSD — In a survey measuring how more than 27,000 public high schools in the country prepare their students for college, Santa Monica High ranks 256, putting it in the top 1 percent of the all schools. Samohi also ranks 30th in the state in the number of students taking advanced placement courses, and is one of only three schools in Los Angeles County to have more than 3,000 students and place in the top 300 on the annual “Challenge Index,” published in the May 8 issue of Newsweek magazine. While some would see these rankings as cause to celebrate, last year Newsweek had the Vikings ranked higher on the index at 199. This drop was noted in an e-mail blast to parents earlier this week, who offered different takes on what the new ranking says about student achievement at the campus. While some may see the drop in ranking as a sign that Samohi is falling behind, others preferred to look at the brighter side. The author of the ranking sys-
tem and school board members quickly responded to e-mails from parents about the index. The rankings, they said, are just one measurement of Samohi’s success and other factors need to be considered before jumping to any conclusions.
They pointed out that Samohi is still among the top 300 public high schools in the country in terms of challenging students to take college-level courses, and the school See SAMOHI, page 6
He blew it
Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press Balloon artist Stuart Chandler, 62, aka ‘Mr. Balloons’, entertains children with his hot-air creations on the Third Street Promenade. Chandler has been working on the Promenade for the past 11 years.
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